Stuart Seldowitz arrested after harassing vendor, mocking Islam
3 Min Read
Seldowitz is facing preliminary charges of hate crime/stalking, second-degree aggravated harassment, stalking causing fear, and stalking at employment after harassing and mocking a Muslim food cart vendor in New York.
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Stuart Seldowitz in a screengrab from a video posted on X posted by user @itslaylas
Former Obama administration National Security Council official, Stuart Seldowitz, has been arrested following his Islamophobic rant and hate crime against a food cart vendor in New York City.
According to the New York Police Department, Seldowitz is facing preliminary charges of hate crime/stalking, second-degree aggravated harassment, stalking causing fear, and stalking at employment, but it remains unclear what charges exactly he would face when the Manhattan District Attorney’s office receives the case.
Seldowitz confirmed to CNN ahead of his arrest that it was him in the videos circulating social media, which appear to be from different days.
The NYPD told CNN on Tuesday that local precinct personnel “are monitoring the situation.”
In turn, Seldowitz claimed to the Daily Beast that the video clips only show one side of the events, and continued that the vendor instigated the harassment by allegedly expressing his support for Hamas.
He also expressed to City & State, “I regret the whole thing happened and I’m sorry.”
“If we killed 4000 Palestinian children it wasn’t enough”
— Sheikh Nabeel (@SheikhNabeel786) November 22, 2023
This fool is Former National Security advisor to Obama.
Now you know what they really are & what they actually think.#StuartSeldowitz #FreePalestineFromIsrael #Palestine #Gaza #FreePalestine #Israel #IsraelIsATerrorist pic.twitter.com/Jr5yOOR6S4
He added, “But you know, in the heat of the moment, I said things that probably I shouldn’t have said.”
'Appalled by the racist Islamophobia'
Mohamed Attia of the Street Vendor Project stated that the vendor said he did not instigate the conversation as Seldowitz claimed.
According to Attia, the Egyptian-born vendor, Mohamed, doesn’t speak English well. “Mohamed told me he doesn’t know how to respond to or know what to say to the guy and kept playing it safe by asking the guy to go away,” he told CNN.
When the vendor said he doesn't speak English, Seldowitz said, "What do you speak? You speak Arabic, the language of the Quran," and then proceeded to insult the Quran.
"That’s why you're selling food in a food cart, because you’re ignorant. But you should learn English. It’ll help you when they deport you back to Egypt and then the Mukhabarat wants to interview you."
Street Vendor Project describes being “appalled by the racist Islamophobia” witnessed in the videos, and in a statement said that the vendors at the center of this event “feared speaking out would put them at risk of displacement.”
The statement on social media continued: “No one should have to choose between harassment or displacement”.
New York City Councilmember Julie Menin reported the incident to the police, and tweeted on Tuesday: “This is vile hate speech and harassment and truly abhorrent,” adding: “There is no place for hate in our community and city.”
This is vile hate speech and harassment and truly abhorrent. I have contacted the @NYPD19Pct and they are reviewing these videos. There is no place for hate in our community and city. https://t.co/BPi2AdisL0
— Julie Menin (@JulieMenin) November 21, 2023
